Hand and forearm protection apparel

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing is provided that includes a hand covering coupled to a forearm covering wherein the article of clothing protects the skin from environmental elements.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims the benefit of priority, under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e), to Cynthia Marcus U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/284,689, entitled “Hand and Forearm Protection Apparatus,” filed on Dec. 23, 2009 (Attorney Docket No. CRM-0001Prov).

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and data as described below and in the drawings that form a part of this document: Copyright 2009-2010, Mighty Mitts, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document pertains generally to a garment, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an article of clothing for protecting the hand and forearm.

BACKGROUND

In cold climates, people need to protect their hands from the elements. A lowering of atmospheric temperature (e.g., below 50 F) may make the hands cold, and the elements such as rain, sleet, and snow may cause damage to the skin that is not protected or is exposed to such elements for extended periods of time. Even if the skin is exposed for a short duration of time (e.g., even a moment) snow, sleet, or rain on the skin may be uncomfortable. There are many types of gloves and mittens available commercially to protect the hands from changes in temperature as well as the elements. But, when a person wears gloves, snow, ice, rain, and other elements may get trapped under the glove or between the glove or mitten and a coat sleeve to irritate the skin (e.g., skin may become wet and/or cold). Thus, a removable apparatus that can be attached to a glove or mitten is required to protect the forearm from snow, sleet, ice and other particles from touching the skin.

OVERVIEW

This overview is intended to provide an overview of subject matter of the present patent application. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive explanation of the invention. The detailed description is included to provide further information about the present patent application.

An article of clothing is provided that includes a hand covering coupled to a forearm covering wherein the article of clothing protects the skin from environmental elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe similar components in different views. Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various embodiments discussed in the present document.

FIG. 1 shows an article of clothing having a hand covering article coupled to a forearm covering article.

FIGS. 2A and 2B shows the hand covering article of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A shows the forearm covering article of FIG. 1 with a coupling mechanism located at a proximal end of the forearm covering.

FIG. 3B shows the forearm covering article of FIG. 1 with a tightening mechanism located at a distal end of the forearm covering.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an article of clothing 10 having a hand covering article 12 coupled to a forearm covering article 14. The forearm covering 14 has a coupling mechanism 16 at the proximal end 17 (shown in FIG. 3A) of the forearm covering 14, which is further described below. Further, the forearm covering 14 has a tightening mechanism 18 at the distal end to tighten around the forearm, also described below. The hand covering article 12 may be a glove or a mitten. The hand covering 12 can be worn alone, as typical gloves and mittens are worn. Alternatively, the forearm covering 14 may be worn alone without the hand covering 12.

The article of clothing 10 protects the skin from environmental elements. Further, the article of clothing 10 protects an area between the hand and the forearm from environmental elements from touching the skin. Typically, environmental elements such as moisture, water, rain, snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain, hail, and particles are captured between the hand covering 12 (e.g., a glove or mitten) and a sleeve of a coat. Snow and ice caught between the glove and coat may touch the skin, making the skin cold and uncomfortable. In turn, the cold skin may reduce the amount of time a person may spend outdoors. By the hand covering 12 coupled to the forearm covering 14, the gap between the glove and the coat is eliminated and covered; thus, the area between the hand and forearm is protected from environmental elements touching the skin. This allows a person to be able to spend more time outdoors by keeping the skin dry and protected from the elements.

In addition, the coupled hand covering 12 and forearm covering 14, protect the wearer from scratches, abrasions, cuts, and damage to the skin of at least the hand and the forearm. Thus, the article of clothing 10 may be configured to be used for activities where the forearm could be injured, such as when falling while bicycling, skateboarding, or other activities. Therefore, the article of clothing 10 protects the hand and forearm from foreign objects such as, rocks, pebbles, dirt, leaves, gravel, sticks, stones, any sharp or dull object or any irregularly shaped object.

Materials that can be used to manufacture the article of clothing 10 may include latex, rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl chloride, nitrile vinyl, any moldable material, any water proof material, or any material impervious to water known in the art, or any combinations thereof. Additional materials may include artificial fleece, hard-faced fleece, Gortex®, and other materials having a high degree of elasticity. In an embodiment, the forearm covering 14 may have multiple layers of material that insulate the skin and keep the skin warm and dry in cold, rainy, snowy, or sleeting weather conditions.

Further, various styles of forearm covering 14 can be worn. For instance, a forearm covering 14 may be a single layer of material that couples with the hand covering 12 to create a long sleeve that is light in weight and protects the forearm. Alternatively, the forearm covering 14 may have multiple layers of material that insulate the skin and keep the skin warm and dry in cold, rainy, snowy, icey, or sleeting weather conditions.

The forearm covering 14 has a first diameter 20 and the hand covering 12 has a second diameter 22, wherein the first diameter 20 is smaller than the second diameter 22. Thus, the forearm covering 14 fits inside the hand covering 12. Further, because the hand covering 12 overlaps the proximal edge 17 of the forearm covering 14, the article of clothing 10 protects the area between the wrist and a coat sleeve to prevent elements such as snow, moisture, sleet, ice or other particles from touching the skin in the wrist area, or the elements from sliding snow to slide up into the palm of the hand or along the forearm.

The forearm covering 14 includes a wrist section, a forearm section and an elbow section. The forearm covering 14 is generally tubular in shape and has a form and shape where a hand may pass through from the distal end 19 of the forearm covering 14 to the proximal end 17 of the forearm covering 14. In addition, the forearm covering 14 tapers in shape from the distal end 19 to the proximal end 17 to fit the shape of a human forearm.

The forearm covering 14 is removably coupled to the hand covering 12. By removing the hand covering 12 from the forearm covering 14, the forearm covering 14 may be worn alone. The forearm covering 14, when worn alone, protects the forearm from conditions or materials that may scuff, abrade, scratch, cut, damage, or injure the skin of the forearm.

Further, the hand covering 12 and forearm covering 14 may be manufactured in various sizes to fit children, young adults, and adults. Therefore, the forearm covering 14 may be tailored in a cylindrical profile having a plurality of diameters. Various diameters may be proportional to the diameter in relationship to the size of a child's or adult's hand, wrist, or forearm—as known and understood through human ergonomics. The forearm covering 14 and hand covering 12 may have various ornamental designs or logos on the surface in order to merchandise various characters, actors, scenes from popular videos, cartoon, movies, words, trademarks, and the like.

FIGS. 2A and 2B shows the hand covering 12. The hand covering 12 is at least one of a glove (e.g., shown in FIG. 2B) and a mitten (e.g., shown in FIG. 2A). Further, as stated above, the forearm covering 14 fits within the hand covering 12. The arrangement of the forearm covering 14 fitting inside the hand covering allows the distal edge 25 of the hand covering 12 to project over the proximal end 17 of the forearm covering 14 by a predetermined length.

In addition, in one embodiment, the palm and finger section of the hand covering 12 may include a plurality of gripping areas 24. The grip area 24 allows the wearer to hold things without the items slipping from the hand; and further, the hand covering 12 may have an elastic band 26 within the lining of the hand covering 12 for a tight fit on the hand. The inside 28 of the hand covering 12 may be manufactured from fleece or similar materials that may be coupled to the coupling mechanism (e.g., Velcro®).

FIG. 3A shows the forearm covering article of FIG. 1 with a coupling mechanism located at a proximal end 17 of the forearm covering 14. The hand covering 12 and the forearm covering 14 are coupled together to prevent snow, ice, sleet, moisture, and particles from touching the skin. The coupling mechanism comprises a first part and a second part, wherein the first part is connected to the hand covering 12 (e.g., in one embodiment may be the internal fleece or similar material within the glove or mitten) and the second part (e.g., may be the Velcro®) is connected to the forearm covering 14. The hand covering 12 and the forearm covering 14 are coupled together when the first part and the second part of the coupling mechanism are connected.

In one embodiment, the forearm covering 14 has a coupling mechanism 16 that couples to the hand covering 12 using a variety of methods, such as Velcro®, hooks and eyes, snaps, buckles, buttons, zippers, interlaced string ties, and the like. FIG. 3B shows an embodiment where a plurality of Velcro® strips are the second part of the coupling mechanism.

As stated above, the hand covering 12 couples to the forearm covering 14 generally in the wrist area to eliminate any gaps or space in the area between the wrist and the forearm. By not having any gaps between the hand covering 12 and the forearm covering 14, the article of clothing 10 protects the skin of the forearm from environmental elements such as, moisture, snow, sleet, ice, or other particles. The forearm covering 14 prevents the elements from slipping underneath a coat sleeve and prevents the elements from irritating the skin of the forearm. Thus, the forearm is protected, and it is kept warm and dry.

Alternatively, a kit may be provided for a user that has his own hand covering 12 (e.g., glove or mitten). The kit may provide, for example, Velcro® straps that attach to the first part of the hand covering 12 and the second part of the forearm covering 14, which when the Velcro® straps are joined together connect the hand covering 12 to the forearm covering 14.

FIG. 3B shows the forearm covering 14 with a tightening mechanism 18 located at a distal end 19 of the forearm covering 14. The tightening mechanism 18 may be used to create a snug fit on the wearer's forearm. The tightening mechanism 18 is at least one of a string tie, elastic, a buckle arrangement or a Velcro® arrangement. The tightening mechanism 18 allows the wearer can adjust the tightening mechanism to provide a comfortable fit on the forearm.

Additional Notes

The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown and described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown and described are provided.

All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

What is claimed:
 1. An article of clothing, comprising: a hand covering coupled to a forearm covering to protect the skin from environmental elements.
 2. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the hand covering is at least one of a glove and a mitten.
 3. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the forearm covering is removably coupled to the hand covering.
 4. The article of clothing of claim 1, further protects an area between the hand and the forearm from environmental elements.
 5. The article of clothing of claim 4, wherein the area between the hand and forearm is protected from environmental elements touching the skin.
 6. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the forearm covering protects the skin of the forearm from environmental elements.
 7. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the environmental elements comprise foreign objects, water, rain, snow, sleet, ice, freezing rain, and hail.
 8. The article of clothing of claim 7, wherein the foreign objects comprise at least one of rocks, pebbles, dirt, a leaves, gravel, sticks, stones, any sharp or dull object, and any irregularly shaped object.
 9. The article of clothing of claim 1, further includes a coupling mechanism to join the hand covering and the forearm covering.
 10. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises at least one of Velcro, hooks and eyes, snaps, buckles, buttons, and zippers.
 11. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises a first part and a second part, wherein the first part is connected to the hand covering and the second part is connected to the forearm covering.
 12. The article of clothing of claim 11, wherein the hand covering and the forearm covering are coupled together when the first part and the second part of the coupling mechanism are connected.
 13. The article of clothing of claim 1, further creates no gap in the area between the hand and the forearm when the forearm covering couples with the hand covering.
 14. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the forearm covering fits within the hand covering.
 15. The article of clothing of claim 14, wherein the distal edge of the hand covering is arranged to project over the proximal end of the forearm covering by a predetermined length.
 16. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the distal end of forearm covering has a tightening mechanism to create a snug fit on the wearer's forearm.
 17. The article of clothing of claim 16, wherein the tightening mechanism is at least one of a string tie, elastic, and Velcro.
 18. The article of clothing of claim 16, wherein the wearer can adjust the tightening mechanism to provide a comfortable fit.
 19. The article of clothing of claim 1 further protects the wearer from scratches, abrasions, cuts, and damage to the skin of at least the hand and the forearm.
 20. The article of clothing of claim 1, wherein the palm section of the hand covering comprises a plurality of gripping areas. 